Where does “menkind” come from?
menkind (English) comes from English kind, from Middle English kynde, from Middle English -nesse, from Old English -nes, from Proto-West Germanic -nassī, from Proto-Germanic -inassuz, from Proto-West Germanic -ī, from Proto-Germanic -į̄ — Creates collective nouns, which refer to groups...
menkind (English): menfolk
Definitions
- menfolk
Ancestry of “menkind”, step by step
menkind traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English kind
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | kind | A type, race or category; a group of entities... |
| 2 | Middle English | kynde | Nature, disposition |
| 3 | Middle English | -nesse | Affixed to adjectives to form abstract nouns... |
| 4 | Old English | -nes | Used to form abstract nouns, usually from... |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | -nassī | Used to form abstract nouns, usually from... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -inassuz | -ness |
| 7 | Proto-West Germanic | -ī | -ness, -th |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | -į̄ | -th |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -íh₂ | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -h₂ | Creates collective nouns, which refer to groups... |
via English men
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | men | plural of man; people, humanity; enlisted... |
| 2 | Middle English | men | Alternative form of man; plural of mon |
| 3 | Old English | menn | plural of mann; men, persons, human beings;... |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | manniz | nominative/vocative plural of *mann- |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | mann- | human, human being, person, individual; name of... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | men- | to think, mind; spiritual activity; to stay,... |